As much as we all try to make sure there is an abundance of good in the world, there will always be people or acts that are classified as profoundly immoral and wicked. Another word for this is evil.
The word evil often makes us think of the monster or villain of a fantasy story. However, there are evil people in the real world as well. Corrupt politicians, people who crave power, and those who have a tendency toward violence all count.
When it comes to evil people and acts though, their motives ought to be given just as much thought as their actions. The root of all evil is different in everyone's mind. Some people think it's a person's environment. Others think it's a feeling or emotion that gives way to evil. Whatever the case, everyone has a different opinion.
Curious about the varying opinions, Redditor Rude_Acanthisitta626 asked:
"What do you believe is the root of all evil?"
A Cartoon Villain
"Dinkleberg…"
– Gaming_Gent
"Had to scroll way too far for this reference. Have some fool's gold"
– TheChargedCreeper864
Evil Itself
(evil)1/2
– gavlegoat
"OP asked root. Not square root. Could also be the cube or quad root"
– clueless_robot
We May All Be Evil
"Ham. Dangerous sh*t."
– Hamfiter
"Damn. In that case, I'm a f*cking supervillain."
"Ham is delicious, fear my (apparent) dangerous insanity."
– Fr057y6077
Well...
"The first track of Octavarium by Dream Theater. Next question?"
– Vibe_PV
Ick.
"Kale"
– DancingBear2020
"Nutritious and disappointing..."
– Odd_Description1
"Hardy, but evil. Especially the roots."
– DancingBear2020
Pure Evil
"25.807"
– Quick-Bad
"The square root of 666..."
– GboyFlex
Others took the question seriously.
One Deadly Sin
"Greed"
– pfahler
"I think it’s impossible to boil it down to one root but if you had to, yeah. Greed."
– Incongruent
"Nailed it. Was having a discussion with some buddies and offered the following question. What would happen if greed was universally replaced by altruism?"
– mbozzer
Being Scared
"Fear. Fear creates hatred and all negative emotions, but there’s no way to get rid of fear so"
– Deegster_010
"I think it's fear. As far as I can tell fear is the root of greed."
– the_ricktacular_mort
"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."
– PolyJuicedRedHead
Power and Control
"The desire to control other people."
– akaKinkade
"Yup, the need for power."
– SpakysAlt
""Power! Unlimited power!" was the motivation of Palpatine, one of the most evil villains in cinematic history. He's basically the Devil."
– BubbhaJebus
Is Anyone Better?
"Us vs Them mentality."
"Be it war, racism, politics, religion etc. It's all the same. My people are better than your people. Forgetting that we are actually all the same. People."
– SanianCreations
Apt.
"Entitlement"
– PossibleDesigner7002
Not Bliss
"Ignorance. In all its possible meanings."
"Ignorance leads to fear of the unknown. Fear leads to hatred. Hatred causes violence. Violence is the basis for conflicts. Conflicts lead to death. And death causes only more fear, hatred, and conflicts."
"Ignorance causes withdrawal. Withdrawal can lead to dogmatism. Dogmatism breeds intolerance. Intolerance leads to hatred. And once again, hatred causes violence and conflicts, which cause death, etc."
"Ignorance leads to decline. Decline causes frustration. Frustration leads to hatred. And once again, hatred causes violence conflicts, which cause death, etc."
– TraceFinder
Evil can be contained if the cause is known, and that's why knowing the root is so important.
But again, the root cause of evil is different depending on who you ask.
